How to Escape Winter (Really, Really Well) with @lucylaucht

Writer and photographer (and former J.Crew social media guru) Lucy Laucht has made
a career out of her lifelong wanderlust. The Brit by way of Australia recently
packed up a 1985 Volkswagen camper van (along with her husband, whom she
met at a noodle stand in Bali) and set off on a road trip across America in search
of inspiring, off-beat places and people. We asked her to share some of her
packing essentials and favorite spots to escape the winter blahs.

Lucy takes in the view atRanchlands's Zapata Ranch in Colorado.

THE BEST PLACE TO…

FIND SUN AND GET AWAY FROM IT ALL

Satellite Island, Tasmania — Just a hop, skip, three flights
and two boats from New York but SO WORTH IT! Your very
own island comes with a choice of two houses: the summer
house, a literal Pinterest dream come true, or the boat house,
a two-room beach shack perched above the lapping waters
of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. There’s blissfully little to do
except read, swim, take in the island’s incredible raw beauty
and shuck the occasional oyster collected from the rock
shelf. Plus, Northern Hemisphere winter means it’s summer down under!

STAY THAT WON’T BREAK THE BANK

Villa Derrière, Cernobbio, Italy — A beautiful little villa, a literal
stone’s throw from Lake Como. Owners Davide Caremi and Giorgia Mandelli grow the produce they use to cook the delicious, simple
food served at their nightly secret dinner parties, where
guests dine together downstairs at the villa. Bonus tip: Try
Giorgia’s incredible flourless chocolate cake for breakfast.
Go for aperitivo (and people-watching) at the incredible Villa d’Este—it’s just down the street.

GET YOUR CULTURAL FIX

Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Taos, New Mexico —The former home of 1920s
literary hostess Mabel Dodge Luhan. Her circle of friends
who stayed at the house included Georgia O’Keeffe, Aldous
Huxley, Ansel Adams and D.H. Lawrence. The building is
steeped in stories, and you can definitely feel the ghosts of
the past here. Don’t miss the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in
nearby Santa Fe and her former home in Abiquiu.

GO IN MEXICO AND AVOID BUMPING INTO HALF OF
NEW YORK

Mérida — A colorful colonial little town on the Yucatán Peninsula with some of the most incredible restaurants in the
region. Bonus tip: Get the best ceviche you’ll ever taste at Marlin Azul, and shop for one-of-a-kind Oaxacan handmade clothes at Kukul Bout'ik. Stay at Coqui Coqui.

LUCY’S WON’T-LEAVE-HOME-WITHOUT ESSENTIALS:

“Scalloped detailing + color = the perfect
swimsuit.”

“A travel essential. They take up minimal space
and transform an outfit.”

TRUSTY CAMERAS

“A Canon EOS 5D Mark III for work
and a Fujifilm X100T for fun. I
also carry a Polaroid everywhere I go to capture the moments in between.”

AN AWAY SUITCASE

“These suitcases are an absolute dream to
wheel, plus they come with ports to charge phones and tablets (ingenious!) and a hand-painted
monogram by their resident artist. I have
the carry-on case and the larger checked
case for longer trips.”